Missing Texas Teen Was Sold for Sex. Why Didn’t These People Offer More Help?
Do you recall the story of the North Texas teen who went missing from a Dallas Mavericks game on April 8?
We have confirmation from law enforcement that the 15-year-old girl who went to a Dallas Mavericks game with her father ended up being trafficked and sold for sex in Oklahoma City. And now, KVUE reports that her family says that many people could've stopped it from happening...but didn't.
I can imagine only one or two scenarios as truly heartbreaking and terrifying--both to the victim and her family. Perhaps the worst part is the fact that while many people could have stopped the trafficking from occurring according to the family's attorneys, for one reason or another, no one did.
The girl from North Richland Hills, Texas got up from her seat to go to the restroom a little bit before halftime, according to KVUE, but then she never came back.
She was seen on surveillance leaving with an unknown male. We now know from North Richland Hills Police that she was eventually found in an Oklahoma hotel room after missing for 11 days. A truly horrifying scenario. The girl was reported to have been identified via nude photos online.
KVUE reports that "on Wednesday, Oklahoma City police confirmed to WFAA that eight people had been arrested in the girl's disappearance, each with varying charges, from a felony warrant to human trafficking rape."
So according to the family attorneys, who could've helped but didn't?
The attorneys sent out a press release late last week. In it, they said parties who could've prevented it include the "American Airlines Center, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Police Department, and the Oklahoma City hotel where the teen was found [...]"
In a recent article from KVUE, the father of the teen had reported his daughter missing to the Dallas Police who allegedly told him to contact North Richland Hills Police since that's where they lived. Additionally, they shared that:
"North Richland Hills Police confirmed to WFAA that they received the report about the missing teen at 1:27 a.m., about six hours after the game started. The department said the teen was entered in the national missing person database by 3:24 a.m. on April 9.
Dallas Police said they helped North Richland Hills PD and created a bulletin for the missing teen that went out to the department on April 11.
Fortenberry [the family's lawyer] said those efforts weren't enough.
“This girl was being sexually assaulted in a hotel room multiple nights," Fortenberry said. "Any time she could have been rescued from that sooner would have been better.”
Read more on the story here.
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